Who Is Hannah Petty on 48 Hours? Everything You Need to Know

Here is a comprehensive breakdown about Who Is Hannah Petty on 48 Hours? Everything You Need to Know.

The tragedy unfolded in the early morning hours of November 21, 2016. Emma Walker was found dead in her bed inside her family's suburban Knoxville home, having suffered a single gunshot wound to the head while sleeping. Initial inspections baffled responding patrol officers because there were no signs of forced entry. Shell casings were absent inside the bedroom, and the residence appeared undisturbed from the front entryway.

Investigators quickly discovered two small bullet holes piercing the exterior siding of the home directly outside Walker’s bedroom wall. One bullet had embedded itself harmlessly in her pillow, while the other proved fatal. Ballistics experts determined that the shooter stood outside in the dark, firing blindly through the drywall with the deliberate intention of hitting whoever lay asleep inside. The calculated geometry of the shots immediately shifted the police investigation from an accidental discharge or random prowler scenario into an orchestrated execution.

Knoxville detectives turned their attention directly to Walker’s ex-boyfriend, eighteen-year-old William Riley Gaul, a freshman wide receiver at Maryville College. The relationship between Walker and Gaul had been marked by intense volatility, repeated breakups, and possessive outbursts that concerned parents, teachers, and classmates throughout 2016.